Location: Helasia Village --Toraenis Outskirts, Aetheria
Helasia Village was small, quaint, quiet. It was the kind of village that one would pass through, or perhaps stop in long enough to sell a few items or stock up on food. It was not a very impressive village. Nestled next to a river, with fertile farmland, it was quiet. And being so close to Toraenis meant it was
safe. At least until the Wayfarers lost their minds.
Wayfarers had always been strange folk; that was known by all the denizens of the land. They didn’t eat, they didn’t seem to sleep, they just showed up, fought monsters, gathered weapons and artifacts, and just...disappeared every so often. And until recently, the normal villagers of Aetheria just
accepted them as a part of life.
But then something
changed. The attitudes of the Wayfarers were the first thing they noticed; they were no longer confident warriors. Many were
scared. They also began to eat, sleep and need shelter, just like any normal villager. But the worst was that Wayfarers were unpredictable. For every ten Wayfarers that continued to help out around villages, gathering materials, crafting or assisting the townsfolk, there was always one who decided to break away from the norm and hurt people. Denizens began to be killed, kidnapped or
worse. And it was usually a group of Wayfarers behind it; young men and sometimes women who seemed to have cracked.
A group like that came to Helasia. They threatened to burn the town to cinders, took the young women of the village as their “slaves” and stole most of the food the town had. It seemed that Helasia was not the first village hit by a group like this, as the local guards and magistrate were struggling to deal with roving bands like this.
When the disheveled Wayfarer walked into town, the men and women were ready to fight. Pitchforks, axes, whatever they had on hand. But the man had simply held up a hand, and gently asked them
“What happened?” When they explained that it was
his people that took their daughters and food away, he nodded.
“I’ll bring them back,” he said.
And how did he expect to do that?
”I’m going to ask. Nicely.”
The Bronze Badgers were a small-time guild. Extremely casual, without a big guild hall to call home. They were just a group of friends, some college buddies, and friends who’d picked up Pariah Online together and started running dungeons together. It was fun, and relaxing. And then that
fucking message was broadcasted. Belgar, the leader, told them to be calm. They’d fix the hack, they’d all get logged out, they’d be
safe. And now Belgar was dead, and his Vice-Captain, Elwes, was in charge.
”Fuck waiting around. Don’t you guys see? This is our chance to have some real fun! Why live like a bunch of poor-ass peasants when we can be barbarians!” The fact that Elwes carried a bloody club, and that Belgar had been killed by having his
head smashed in did little to disturb the group. Fear, boredom and a sense of nihilism had eroded their judgment. To them, there was no home. They were in hell, if this was their fate, they would be
demons. They’d camped out near a cave in the deep forest, and had a roaring bonfire as they cooked themselves a feast. No need to ration food when they could take whatever they wanted without care, after all. The local girls, four of them, were tied up near the carriage they’d stolen. Once they set up tents, they’d start dealing with the girls. For now…
And then
he appeared. A disheveled man wearing armor that was in disrepair. What wasn’t covered in awkward steel was covered by a thick woolen cloak, though it looked uncomfortably warm in this climate. He seemed cool and calm about his wardrobe, as he approached the group.
”You gentlemen must be the ones who ransacked Helasia village,” he stated in a matter-of-fact nature. He calmly glanced over at the group of men, which numbered six.
”The young ladies’ parents miss them dearly. I think it’s time they returned home.” ”Holy shit, is this guy retarded?” One of the Bagers said, looking at him.
”Dude, are you trying to fucking roleplay right now? The man shook his head.
”I am not acting. I am simply here to escort these young ladies home, and away from harm. He was greeted with more raucous laughter. The group began to gather around him, with Elwes balancing the club over his shoulder.
”Holy shit, I know you. You’re that idiot that tried to talk down a goblin tribe from attacking a city. You were the biggest joke in Pariah. The so-called ‘Pacifist Hero.’” More jeers, more laughter, and more snide remarks.
”What the fuck do you think you can do here? You can’t kill any of us. Unless you’ve decided to stop playing Mr. Hero and started treating this shit for real.”The man shook his head, and placed his gloved hand over the hilt of a blade on his side.
”No, I still believe conflicts can be resolved peacefully. But even when they cannot, I am still capable of fighting and defending myself.” Elwes snarled.
”Alright guys, let’s show this fuckin’ pussy what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong!”
The sun was beginning to set on Helasia Village, and the men and women gathered around the square, worried. There’d been no word from the city on help, and the Wayfarer that had left had not returned. Everyone began to expect the worst when their silent vigil was broken as one of the young men of the village came running.
“L-look! They’re coming out of the woods!”
The man sat at the front of the carriage, leading the horses down the street. The young women sat behind him, slightly dirty but none worse for wear. The majority of the food was still loaded in the wagon as well, including six men, bound and gagged in the back. They were all terribly bloodied, but all alive. The man looked the worst of them all, with thick gauze wrapped around his head and body. He’d lost a fair amount of blood.
There were many tears, praises and kind words from the townspeople. “Please, take this, it’s a family heirloom,” or “Please, this is all the money we have!” Each offer was met with a courteous shake of his head.
”You all need these things more than I,” he said.
“At least rest here for the night and allow someone to treat your wounds!”
Again, that courteous shake of his head.
”I will be fine, you have no need to worry. Besides, there are more people out there who need my help during this time.” He limped away out of the town, looking more ragged and disheveled than when he came.
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